Closing Address of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature by the Honourable Premier of the Northern Cape, Mrs Hazel Jenkins, 08 December 2011, Provincial Legislature

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature

As we bring this final sitting of the legislature to a close for the year 2011, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the committed Members of the Legislature who made the Legislature run so smoothly.

I would also like to thank you for your inspiring, constructive and robust debates in this house which clearly demonstrated that we have the capacity to deliver basic services to all our people.

Honourable Members, we are encouraged by the important role that the Legislature plays in the democratisation of society as it is there to represent the voice and the interests of our people. As public representatives we have the responsibility to ensure that this institution plays a critical role in passing effective legislation, and oversight of government, as well as coming up with legislation to improve the living and working conditions of our people.

Honourable Speaker, the ANC government is at the cutting edge of ensuring that the attributes of the developmental state are realised by all spheres of government. It is our central task to ensure that we develop policies that will ensure rapid service delivery and economic growth.

The ANC-led government’s overwhelming popular mandate is to tackle poverty, under-development and to respond to service delivery challenges facing the province as whole.

Together with the people, the ANC-led government prioritised:

The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihood
Massive need to build economic and social infrastructure
The need to improve the quality of education
Focus on improving the health profile of our people
The need to enhance the standard of living of the rural poor
The need to fight crime and corruption that is so pervasive within our society.
A comprehensive rural development strategy linked to land and agrarian reform and food security.
We will expand the youth programme to involve young people in productive initiatives, provide sporting facilities across the communities of the province to ensure their active involvement in sports.

Here in the Northern Cape we stand by our commitment to meet the province's immediate priorities and expand the economy and maintain sound fiscal management.

Honourable Members, what I know and can say without any equivocation is that during this year, our province has, in real terms, and within its means, moved further forward towards tackling poverty and underdevelopment. The Northern Cape Provincial Growth and Developmental Strategy seeks to build a prosperous, sustainable growing provincial economy to eradicate poverty and improve social development for a caring society.

Progress has been made in some key areas such as the hosting of the Transport Investors’ Conference to source investment for the key transport infrastructure projects and to enter into Private Public Partnerships with the private sector, the launch of the Kimberley International Diamond & Jewellery Academy to achieve economic diversification, growth, employment, skills creation, and provide entrepreneurial opportunities and GDP contribution by unlocking investment, the hosting of the Expanded Public Works Summit (EPWP) which is one of the key direct interventions in alleviating and even contributing towards halving poverty by 2014 in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the staging of the Maloof Money Cup – the World’s greatest skateboarding Championship, to mention but a few.

In addition, we continue to strive to strengthen the democratic state so that it is able to drive the developmental agenda aimed at the creation of a non racial democratic society, the attributes of which should, amongst other things, be the attainment of national unity and social cohesion as well as the improvement in the quality of life of our people.

As we undertake these tasks, we are cognisant of the fact that the overall capacity of the state to deliver and lead development and socio-economic transformation is crucial to the agenda of creating a better life for all. At coalface of delivery, municipalities are a vital cog in the government machinery to bring about local economic participation, infrastructure development, job creation and the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity.

In conclusion, I would also like to wish you, your loved ones and your family a happy and peaceful festive season. I encourage all of you to support the 16 days of Activism of no violence against women and children which started on the 25th of November 2011. This campaign remains a pivotal one in creating awareness on the social ills and economic disparities still confronted by women.

Travel well comrades and friends and take a well end break with family and friends over the festive season. Remember "Arrive Alive"


I thank you